Rose on the Grey
by splashleigh
Summary: The world is black, white and grey; you only begin to see colour once you find true love. Regina Mills and Robin Hood have lost love before and their lives are now colourless, but what happens when they accidentally meet and see a red rose on the grey field?
1. Chapter 1

Rose on the Grey

A/N- hey guys! This is my first OQ fanfic! I'm open to criticism just please don't be too harsh- I should point out that I'm English so the spelling maybe a bit different! Sorry!

I saw a post on tumblr (un-original idea, boooo!) that said something along the lines of "what if the world was black and white and when you met your soulmate you started to see colour again" and "what if the world was in colour and suddenly it started to go black and white". This had me thinking about OQ as they both have lost loves and are soulmate so I decided to base this fanfic on that! Don't worry- OQ is endgame so whatever happens just know that I'm not as cruel as Eddy and Adam!

I'm planning this fic to be an M, for themes that run though the whole story such as marital rape, miscarriages, abuse, robbery, death etc as well as some expletives that may appear when necessary, but don't worry, I generally won't be explain those in detail unless the story needs being told, in which case I will put a warning at the start of the fic.

This takes place in the enchanted forest, before the curse.

That's enough rambling from me- enjoy!

Regina had seen black, white and grey before but had never felt it. As an innocent child, she longed to see what colour an apple was, the sky, her father's eyes. She cared not for riches or power as her mother did; all she wanted was colour. Frequently, she would ask her mother to describe what colour the leaves on the tree were but she never answered. She asked her father what colour the grass was to which he'd reply "purple". Once Regina met Daniel, she knew that her father had lied. He never found love and that broke Regina's heart. Oh Daniel. Regina's true love came to the Mills mansion when she was 15, him, 16. Regina gave him a sack of apples to feed her horse and the moment he pulled one out of the bag they both froze at the strange sight they had never seen before. They learned it was red. Daniel and Regina gazed at each other, the same thought running through their mind, "they were meant to be". Each day passed, and the more Regina and Daniel saw each other and fell further into love, the more they saw colours together. First red Then green Then blue Yellow Purple Until there was nothing left but happiness. Happiness until that retched girl and her bastard father ruined her life. The moment Regina saw Daniels heart being crushed was the last time she saw red. The following day, she lost green. The day after she lost blue. Then yellow. Purple. Until there was nothing left but black, white and grey. She had known those colours as a child, but once she lost her true love, she felt them. She felt the pain of never looking into her beloved Daniel's beautiful blue eyes again. The pain of never seeing the colour of an apple.

Robin weeped almost everyday at the loss of his Marian. He loved his son, his precious son with all his heart and remembered a time when he could look into his chocolate eyes, but once Marian had passed, his sons once oak brown eyes were just another grey item in his life. Marian helped Robin turn his life around. Once he came back with the horses to give to her family, he looked at Marian's lips and saw red. She saw the red of his lips too and from that moment onwards everything was perfect. That was, until Marian fell ill with Roland still in her womb. Getting that wand from the imp was heartbreaking for Robin as colour began slipping from his life, fading, becoming duller and duller as each day passed as Marian became more ill. The moment the wand saved Marian, colour flooded his vision. Again, life was perfect until the accident. Guilt consumes Robin every moment he thinks about it. How if he stayed at camp during the mission to steal from King Midas then Marian wouldn't have wanted to come along and be unlawfully slain upon the way. Killed by a guard. Leaving Roland without a mother. Leaving Robin without colour. Nothing but black, white and grey.

It was 3 years into her marriage with King Leopold. No, not marriage, sham. All of it was fake, a simple ploy to get the common folk on Leopold's good side after the ogre war which devastated many villages. The Kingdom needed hope, apparently a Royal Wedding provided that. Most folk felt sorry for the child-bride but there was nothing they could do; Regina was to marry Leopold and that was final. And now, 3 years later she was sat at the same dresser she sat at on her wedding night with her handmaid trying to convince her to go to dinner.

"Your Grace, the King does insist that you attend tonight's dinner. He mentioned important news," the blonde haired girl pleaded.

"If it's important than the King will come to me instead," Regina replied, looking at herself, blankly in the mirror instead of the girl to her left, feeling nothing inside.

"But Your Grace, it is dinner time and the King has requested you through me. My Lord has not cared for your lack off attendance to dinner lately and is aware of your weight loss but tonight-"

"The King will come to me," Regina snapped. "I shan't be eating with my husband or the princess for the foreseeable future no matter how much he demands it. Do not mention my weight loss again; I eat when I need be and I'm not hungry. Now go tell the King if he so desperate needs me I'll be here in my room as usual."

"Your Grace I can't disobey-" Regina look at the girl with a venomous glare which made her back away to the door. "Of course, Your Grace." The girl hurried out of the room, leaving the door open slightly. Furiously, Regina walked over to the door and slammed it shut. As she did, she felt the darkness encompass her; she knew it was him.

"And what do you want, Imp?" Regina asked, not needing to take her eyes off the door.

"My, my dearie," Rumplestiltskin said with a hint of glee in his voice. Regina turned around to find him sitting on the chair she was on but moments ago. "Someone's got a temper! Did the King come visit his wife last night?" He giggled, knowing he had hit a nerve.

"That is none of your business," she snapped back, hurt.

"Oh there's no need for that missy! I was merely asking a question. Perhaps you could explain something to me," he retorted, standing up and slowly walking towards her.

"I won't explain anything of the sort to you."

"Oh no no no no no! Not about that. About the fact that you missed your lesson today. You know I don't like waiting. I had an excellent lesson planned about-"

"- I had worse things to do today. But believe me, I'd rather have walked through fire than suffer one more moment with the precious princess and her doting father. Even the notion makes me sick."

"Hmm. Well, maybe if you turned up for your lessons, dearie, I could teach you how to set them on fire." They were face to face now. Regina was terrified looking into his mixed grey and black eyes, yet didn't dare break eye contact. Deep down she was afraid of him, but then again everyone in the whole realm was scared to death of him. She opened her mouth to speak when she felt a pain she knew too well, her heart being ripped out. Rumplestiltskin's hand plunged into her chest and pain pierced through Regina. Once her heart had been removed he held it up in front of her face. She looked at her damaged heart. It was light grey but had far too many dark grey streaks for a 21 year old. She had never seen the true colour of her heart but she knew that the dark streaks meant darkness. A darkness that fed on her when she pushed her mother through the looking glass. A darkness that fed on her each lesson she took with the imp. A darkness that harbored in her that she could not live without. Regina held her breath and closed her eyes. She knew that she herself had caused this. If she hadn't have saved that retched girl then her heart wouldn't be full of darkness... But it was. And as much as she wanted revenge on the brat, she knew that she was just as much as blame as Snow. Rumple took the heart back and began to squeeze on it lightly. Regina jerked forward but tried to resist the pain as much as she could. She looked up at Rumple, silently begging him to stop, but all she saw was hate in his eyes. "Don't miss a lesson again." He demanded as he thrust the broken heart back into her chest. Regina flooded with emotion as tears escaped her eyes from the pain. She closed her eyes, wiped them away as quickly as she could, and when she opened them again, the imp was gone.

Regina sighed and put her hands on her head. She felt the tears welling up again as memories of her mother ripping out and crushing Daniel's heart flooded back. The Imp knew how to hurt her and he used those weaknesses to manipulate her, but there was nothing she could do about it. The Imp had her under control, he had leverage, far better magical abilities; trying to fight him was pointless.

She heard his footsteps.

As quickly as she could, Regina wiped her tears, grabbed the nearest book to her and sat back down at her dresser; she could still smell the darkness lingering even after the Imp had gone.

The were getting closer.

She knew his footsteps by heart. These were his angry footsteps which she knew all too well. The Queen had done a lot to anger the King lately: refusing to eat with him, not attending Royal Balls, refusing to give her body to him at night (despite this he usually took it anyway). But now he was right outside the door and she knew that she had somehow over stepped the mark. The door flew open and Leopold stormed in. The Kingdom knew Leopold as a kind, gentle man who would never harm a fly. All except Regina. She was a toy to him, a trophy wife. Someone to show off during the day and fuck during the night. He cared not for her well being and she found out the moment she was wed to him.

He slammed the door open with such force it almost flew off its hinges. Regina gasped as he raced towards her. She tried to keep her regal posture and composure. The hostility in his grey face was evident as he raised his hand to her and struck her across the cheek with an almighty force. Regina brought her hands to her cheek as she held back the tears. Her mothers voice ran though her head "that's three times you would have cried in the past ten minutes. Control yourself, or I'll give you something real to cry about". Leopold grab her by the shoulders and brought her up to his level, his hands leaving a red mark their as he let go with one and slid the other to her bicep. "If you King demands you be present at dinner, you be at dinner. You have embarrassed me in front of our guests and I swear if you're not in the dining hall in five minutes I will hurt you a lot more than a simple slap. Understand?" He ordered. Regina wanted to kill him.

"Yes, my Lord," Regina whispered, the words barely leaving her lips. The King turned around and left leaving her alone in the room once again. She trembled as she picked up a cloth and wiped the small amount of black blood off her cheek that the King had caused. She knew that if she missed this dinner then she would get another scar like the one he donned upon her lip. Regina fixed her make-up the best she could, changed outfits into a white dress with long, netted sleeves and made her way down to the dining hall.

She held her breath as the doors opened. Around the table were Leopold, his brat Snow White, and a few other Royals from far off Kingdoms which Regina cared not for. Regina faked her smile as she walked over to sit on the right hand side of the King. She expected food on the table and was quite disappointed when there was nothing but wine on there. She went to grab a glass but was stopped by Leopold's words.

"Ah, my dear wife has finally felt better enough to join us, please, sit my dear Regina," Leopold lied through his teeth. "Now, back to the matter we discussed." Regina listened not. If she couldn't have wine then she wouldn't enjoy herself. She didn't take part or speak. Only sat, opposite to Snow White, not listening to the politics being discussed, instead she planned the girls demise in her head. That was, until she heard her name being mentioned.

"Is that good with you, Queen Regina?" Said King Edgar, who sat next to Snow.

"Regina, King Edgar asked you a question," Leopold said, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, forgive me my Lord, I was in another world for a moment," Regina replied with a smile, looking up, hoping it would suffice as an excuse.

"Oh don't worry my Lady, my wife Cordelia is the exact same, women, eh?" King Edgar chuckled. "We we're just discussing the matter of you producing an heir. It's been 3 years now, there's been no news of a pregnancy, plus my wife is expecting a child. We we're hoping that if you bore a child soon, preferably a son, then we could unite our kingdoms together. Like I said, it has been three years since you wed and you look fit enough to produce a child. Is that good with you, my Queen?" Regina felt sick. She went to open her mouth to oppose to the idea but no words came out. Every man and woman sat at the table was staring at her, some in colour, some not. The silence was growing more tense and awkward. She looked at Leopold who was getting increasingly irritated by the second until a high pitched cry emerged from opposite Regina.

"Daddy said that I could be the Queen on the thrown!" Snow cried.

"Pathetic," thought Regina, as Snow stormed off. Regina took this opportunity to also leave the room.

"I best go after her to make sure she's ok- I wouldn't want my darling step-daughter to get the wrong idea after that proposition. My Lord, may I be excused?" She asked Leopold as politely as she could. He nodded grumpily as Regina shot out the room.

"Snow wait!" Regina panted as she finally caught up with the crying child.

"I don't want a brother or sister. I like being the only Princess for you and Daddy to love," she whimpered.

"Oh my darling Snow," Regina said, acting as if she cared, as she hugged the child and wiped her tears. "It's alright. If you don't want a sibling then you shan't have one."

"Really?" Snow replied, slightly happier. Regina could strangle the brat now, and she would be dead. No. It must be done properly.

"Of course! How do you fancy taking a horse ride out to the rose meadow tomorrow to cheer you up?"

"That would be wonderful!" Snow smiled. "I'll fetch my horse and yours to be ready to go after breakfast!"

"No!" Regina gasped. She knew the matter would be brought up again then by the King. She needed more time to think. "Why not at sun rise? We can have an apple before we leave to keep us going, there is nothing like a fine horse ride to wake you up."

"Just the two of us?" Snow asked, inquisitively.

"Yes. Just you, me and the horses," smiled Regina. Snow hugged Regina again.

"You're the best step-mother ever!" Snow gleefully said into her shoulder as she extended the hug. Regina's fake smile dropped and anger filler her; the thought of why she was her step-mother entered her mind. Regina broke the hug, smiled at Snow and began to walk away back to her room. She would go on this ride tomorrow, not for Snow's sake, but for her own sanity.

The Merry Men's camp was full of drunken laughter. The men were drinking to celebrate another successful robbery, well, all but one. Robin sat on the end off a log, facing away from the fire and off into the woods. Each robbery where they stole from the rich just reminded him of his dear Marian who was taken from him. Despite being the best thief in camp, he had been off his game lately and this worried him. If he was off his game then he could too end up risking his life and poor Roland would be an orphan. He couldn't do that to his child. But Marian died and so from that moment on he swore to be safe to protect Roland.

"You feeling alright, mate?" A voice said, interrupting Robin's stream of thought.

"Am I ever alright, Will?" Robin sighed as Will Scarlett sat down next to him.

" 'Ere. Drink this, lad, it will take the edge off," Will said, handing him a pint. Robin downed it.

"There. Now please, can you leave me alone?"

"Woah, I was just tryna help ya. Listen mate, the whole camp is sick of ya. They don't think your puttin in any effort these days."

"I'm not. I'm only here because Roland loves you all dearly."

"Well ya could at least try and get the men on ya side. They're all losing faith in ya mate." Will said, getting annoyed. "Look. We get ya still upset but we've all lost someone close to us. And as much as it pains me to say this, but ya can't let it get to ya." Will looked at Robin for a response but none came. "If ya want to show us that ya still care for us lot, there's something ya can do tomorrow morning. Take Roland out to that rose field that's only past the next village and through the small forest. Pick a few roses for Little John. He's met a right good lass and wants to woo 'er tomorrow night but doesn't have a flying pigs clue how ta do it. Give him them flowers to do it with and ya will secure ya position as leader, for now at least. I know Roland will love the walk." Again, Will waited for a response but none came. He sighed and started to get up when he felt Robin look up at him.

"Thank you, Will," he said, with a small smile on his face. He knew Roland would love the walk, especially with his father to explore a new place. Robin got up from the log, bid goodnight to his men and walked to his lonely tent. He fell asleep in minutes, thinking about this next day.

A/N- what did you think? They will meet in the next chapter; I just needed to set the scene for this one and I want the meeting to be quite long! Don't forget to leave a comment! I love feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Hey guys, I hoped you enjoyed the last chapter! I couldn't wait to start the next chapter as I already planned it in advance. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to give feedback and follow!

Regina woke before dawn broke to an empty bed. It was moments like these when she thanked the Gods, even though she didn't believe in them. She needed to leave the room to clear her head. It was before dawn; about an hour would be when the pure white sun would rise from the east, over the enchanted forest. Perhaps if she snuck into the kitchen, grabbed a snack then went to the stables to be alone with Rocinante before Snow arrived she could have time to think clearly. The only way Regina could escape Leopold's grasp was through Snow; even though Regina despised the Princess, she hated her father more. Leopold never let Regina out of the castle's walls alone, unless she was with Snow, and right now Regina needed to breath and leave the castle. She could put up with Snow if it meant a bit of freedom.

Regina donned her riding gear. She believed it to be brown and grey but she truly had no idea; she has her love-struck tailor's word for it and that was all. She accessorised with a belt, a satchel and put her hair up in a braid. Regina knew that the outfit wasn't what a 'proper' Queen would wear to horse riding, but she didn't care. It was comfortable and that's all she wanted.

Making her way out the room to the kitchen, she bumped into Snow's personal handmaiden, Johanna.

"Oops! My apologies, Your Highness, It will not happen again," Johanna mused, quite out of breath.

"Oh nonsense, it was my doing. I saw that you were in a rush yet I did not move out the way in time. No need to apologise. Why are you in such a hurry?" Regina quizzed.

"It's your step-daughter, My Lady," Regina grinded her teeth at the word 'daughter'. "Snow White is having quite a trauma. She insists on wearing her riding pants instead of a dress, alas she got mud all over them the last time she rode and so she can't wear them."

"Tell the girl that I would love to see her riding in a dress, especially in a summer like this. Perhaps the pure white one with the flowers on it would be fitting?" Regina said with a fake smile on her face. It was true; the summer was the best they had in years, and perfect for riding in a dress. But Snow still hadn't mastered getting on and off the horse in a dress; watching her struggle would be amusing.

"I'll let Snow know immediately, My Lady. Snow looks up to you as if you were her real mother, I'm sure she will follow your advice," Johanna said gleefully. Oh how Regina hated this woman. "I'll make sure the Princess is at the stables before dawn breaks, Your Majesty." Johanna bowed to which Regina replied with the courteous head nod. Regina gracefully walked away, a stern look on her face. She could never catch a moment alone outside of her quarters. She made her way down to the kitchen to find it busier than usual. She walked over to the fruit and grabbed an orange.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked one of the men carrying at least eight loaves of bread.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he replied, putting them down on the nearest table.

"What's all this commotion about? It's not even dawn yet."

"The King is hosting a Royal Ball tonight to say goodbye to King Edgar, King Victor, Lord Henry and their wives. It is to be one of the biggest balls we've held this year, My Lady."

"A Ball?" Regina said, taken aback. She should have known. It's Royal etiquette to send guests off with a ball.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," Regina said. The man bowed, and before Regina had time to do or say anything else, the man was off out of sight with his bread. Regina grabbed more fruit in case the brat got hungry on the journey to the rose field and left the kitchen for the stables. Regina must have taken her time walking there as Snow was waiting for her, horses ready to go. Just as Regina suggested, Snow was wearing the white dress with flowers on it.

"Regina!" Snow exclaimed! Snow did spend a lot of time with Regina, but they were hardly ever alone, much to both of their disappointment. "Oh I'm so glad you're here! I've been waiting for so long and I'm very hungry but I wanted to get here soon so we could go as soon as possible-"

"Snow. Calm down child," Regina replied, calmly. "I've brought you some fruit that we can eat when we get there. It's about two hours ride away if we take the scenic route in the small forest, shall we do that?"

"Oh that would be wonderful! Can we go now?" Snow said eagerly.

"Absolutely!" Regina replied, getting on her horse so easily she could do it in her sleep. Snow attempted to get on, but as Regina predicted, she struggled immensely. The white dress with grey flowers patterned around the hem came down to her ankles which prevented her from getting on the horse. Regina had to put her hand to her mouth to hide her smiles as the Princess was struggling. "Are you alright dear?" She giggled.

"Yes I'm fine. It's just this dress." The Princess sulked.

"Is the dress bothering you? Can you not mound the horse with the dress on like a proper Princess?" Regina replied, smug.

"No. I can do it. I know I can do it if I just..." the girl trailed off, as she mustered all her effort and made it up on her horse. "See! Now, which way is it Regina?"

"Follow me," Regina said as she raced ahead of the Princess, off into the grey woods which lay before her.

Robin woke just after dawn. Like any morning, he sighed as he rolled over to where Marian would have laid, but there was just the empty grey space. Remembering his conversation with Will the night before, he shot up and smiled. He was to spend the morning with Roland and help a dear friend out too, which should be enough to keep his mind off Marian. Not that he wanted to forget her, but he wanted to forget the pain she left behind. Robin was brought out of his thoughts when he heard that familiar giggle from outside the tent. He knew what his handsome boy was about to do; Robin lay back down on his bed and shut his eyes. A stream of white light entered and then flooded the dark grey tent as Robin heard Roland and who he could only assume to be Little John came in.

"Three..." Little John whispered, "two..."

"Wake up daddy!" Roland exclaimed, jumping on top of his father.

"Roland!" Little John laughed as Robin sat up, hugging his son.

"Well good morning," Robin smiled, placing a kiss on Roland's forehead.

"Ew, don't do that again daddy! Will said that you were going to take me to the field the rose field this morning to get the roses for Little John so he can kiss the Lady," Roland said, bursting with excitement.

"That's the plan," Robin said, "Now why don't you get my bow and arrows so we can go soon?"

"Yes daddy," Roland smiled, running out of the tent.

"Look, Little John, I'm sorry I haven't been the best leader lately but I want to make it up to you all and-" Robin sighed before he was interrupted.

"Robin. We all know it's been tough for you lately. The fact that you're tryin' is enough for us all," Little John smiled.

"So, whose this 'Lady' Roland seems to know all about?" Robin teased.

"Oh shut up! Her name's Nora and she's the barmaid at the pub a few villages away."

"Ah, I know that lass, she's a right lovely one! I'll make sure to pick the prettiest roses for her," Robin smiled as he threw on some clothes. The men laughed but we're interrupted by a high pitched voice.

"Daddy! Come on I want to go!"

"I'll see you later, John," Robin laughed as he ran out the tent. The white sun had risen but was barely high enough for the villagers to start working. Robin knew that bandits would still be out which is why he wanted to take his bow with him. Roland smiled as he handed over his father's weapons, knowing one day he would have a set of his own.

"Are you ready to go?" Robin said and he took his son's hand. Roland nodded as the pair set off for the rose field.

Regina and Snow had been riding non-stop for what she assumed to be a few hours. They finally reached the rose field. Despite there being no colour, Regina still gasped at the beauty of the place; it was in the heart of the small forest, a river ran through the field, twisting and turning, clashing against a few rocks which had somehow got there. The unspoilt nature was breath-taking. Butterflies landed on the roses that surrounded the place, rabbits and deer running away from the pair as they entered the clearing. The sun was beating down in the field; the thick trees which circled around the outside of the field protected the forest floor from the sun. Regina and Snow dismounted their horses and brought them over to the stream for them to drink from.

"This place is truly beautiful Regina," Snow smiled, "almost as pretty as you!" The girl's compliments warmed her heart, until she remembered why she hated the girl.

"Why thank you, dear, but nothing compares to your beauty," Regina said softly. True, the girl was one of the fairest in the land, but she was too innocent. Untouched by the evil and hardships the world offered. Snow and Regina we're binary opposites in terms of beauty; Snow representing the innocent splendour of light while Regina the elegant seduction of darkness.

"Regina," Snow whispered, her voice having a serious tone to it. "Did you hear that noise? Listen." The pair listened for a moment. "There, did you hear it again?" It was the sound of voices. Regina listened some more until she recognised the voices. It was some bandits.

"Snow get down. Hide behind that rock down and go into that small gap. Don't come out until I say so. Do you understand," Regina ordered, to which Snow replied by nodding her head. If something was to happen to Snow then Regina might as well disappear of the face of the earth. Snow rushed to the rock as the men came out of the clearing. Regina counted one, two, three, four, five. Five men. They were armed, but if Regina could conjure a fireball then she'd be fine. Snow couldn't see Regina working her magic and so her secret would be safe. The men were approaching quickly yet nothing appeared from her hand. She tried harder until she realised that her magic was not strong enough to create a fireball under these conditions. Panicking, Regina turned around to run away when she found another bandit stood right behind her. Regina was terrified; the bandits clearly outnumbered her and her magic wasn't working the way the Imp said it would. The man in front of her grabbed hold of her shoulders with a tight grip and spun her around so she was facing the other men who were now directly in front of her.

"Look at this bitch," the toughest man said as he stroked her cheek. Regina glared at the man and kept her composure. "Must be noble, look at her outfit," he smirked as his hand went down to her chest. Before it reached her breast, Regina smacked his hand away with force.

"Don't you dare touch your Queen like that," Regina declared as she tried to free herself, but the man with the grip on her shoulders prevented her from doing so.

"Queen?" Another man chuckled. "You're not the Queen of us freemen."

"I am when you are in my land. Now let go of me or I'll have your heads on a spike," she threatened.

"Wait I know this women. It's Queen Regina, Leopold's young wife," one man explained. Regina's stomach churned at the final three words.

"Hang on," the man behind her said, confused. "There are two horses here. Who are you with?"

"It doesn't matter. I told the person to run when we heard you coming." Regina replied, trying to stay strong.

"Bullshit. Where are they?" Another man chirped in, pulling out a knife.

"There safety and wellbeing is paramount to me. They're gone. Now let me go or so help me when I-" Regina was interrupted when a hand was placed over her mouth. She tried to scream for help but then hand turned them into quiet muffles.

"Forget about the other person. I wonder what it's like to fuck a Queen," The first man smirked. Regina's eyes widened as she realised what they were going to do to her. She tried to kick and punch her way out but the men restrained her. One man brought his hand to her stomach and began to undo her belt. Regina tried one last time to conjure her magic but it once again failed her. She screamed and wriggled, trying to cause a commotion, but the man with a knife put it against her throat. Regina could feel the cold blade pushing against her skin, and she could feel her heart beating extremely fast. She was annoyed at herself for getting into this position; if only her stupid magic would work. She was going to kill the Imp if she ever saw him again. If. If this was the end of Regina, she wouldn't care. She'd be with Daniel again and that's all that mattered to her.

The man began to undo her top. He smirked as he undid each button, getting closer and closer to her breast. Regina closed her eyes, ready for whatever was about to happen when he abruptly stopped. He stopped and fell to the ground to reveal an arrow in his back, black blood pouring out of the wound.

Silence fell as the other five men looked around for what had caused their leader's death. Another arrow came out of seemingly nowhere and shot the man behind Regina, alas the arrow also caught Regina's arm in the process. Regina was bleeding. More arrows flew towards the bandits, all hitting their target, until the men were all dead. Regina stood in shock at the dead bodies that lay around her, the black blood spoiling the beauty of the field.

"Are you alright, Milady?" a voice said, Regina turned around to see a man approaching her, bow and arrow in his hands. Behind the man, a young boy appeared. The thought of the child made Regina remember Snow.

"Snow you can come out now," Regina shouted, ignoring the man. She walked over to the rock but the pain in her arm was increasing, making Regina feel faint. She began to fall over when the man caught her.

"Clearly not. I'm sorry my arrow caught you, Milady," the man said softly, sitting her down as he ripped off a piece of his outfit and began to wrap it around her arm. Regina wasn't concentrating on the man though; she needed to know Snow was safe.

"Snow," she shouted again, getting concerned.

"I'm ok!" Snow replied, coming out from behind the rock. "Oh my goodness, are you ok Regina?" The Princess rushed over to the trio. "Who are you and what did you do to her?" Snow asked the man defensively.

"Snow its ok, he save me," Regina replied, closing her eyes at the pain that was increasing in her arm. She would ask Rumple to use magic to fix it later.

"The name's Robin of Locksley, or Robin Hood to the common folk, but I take it from your clothing that you are not. This is my son, Roland," Robin smiled, looking at Roland who was picking roses.

"I'm Snow, Snow White, and this is my stepmother, Regina," Snow gleamed, holding out her hand, which Robin happily shook. Regina winced at the pain in her arm as she opened her eyes. She looked up and saw the man, well, Robin as she now knew him to be.

"That's Princess Snow White and Queen Regina, if you please," Regina smirked, looking up into his eyes. Robin stared right back at her with a smile. They both got lost in the grey of each other's eyes for a moment; time felt like it had stopped. Robin held his breath as he looked deeper into them, as did Regina. He had the feeling as if he were meant to gaze into them. Regina didn't want to break contact, she somehow felt safe and comfort looking into them, light grey meeting dark grey.

It was only when Snow got up to speak to Roland did they realise where they were and what was happening.

"My apologies, my Queen," Robin whispered. "And as an apology, may I give you this rose as a gift," Robin said, still not tearing his eyes from her. They both sat up ready to look down at the rose he had just grabbed. Breaking eye contact, they stared at the rose in unison and everything again seemed to stop. Their hearts started beating faster as they looked down at the rose.

They saw red.

A red rose on the grey.

A/N, I'll be updating soon! I can't seem to stop writing; it's like I'm fulfilling all my OQ fantasies after the terrible season we've just endured!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Here's the latest chapter! I don't think I can wait until September after that finale; I'm just going to fill the time by writing! Enjoy!

Regina and Robin couldn't believe their eyes. The red rose in Robins hand had to be a trick, there was no way they could be soul mates. They had both suffered great loss and the colourless world was how they were punished. Robin turned and stared at Regina, but she was too busy being mystified by the rose.

"Do you see-" Robin began to ask before he was cut off.

"Yes." Regina whispered, the word barely leaving her lips.

The pair both fell back into silence, looking at the rose, the sound of Snow and Roland playing keeping them grounded.

"It's red," Robin finally whispered. Regina finally looked away from the rose and deeply into his eyes. "What um," Robin began, struggling for words. He could see in her eyes that she was equally as puzzled as he was. "What do we do about this?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"Robin." Regina said as she tore her eyes off his and looked around the field, her body frozen. "This can't be happening". Robin looked up and gazed at the roses around him- all red. They both looked back to each other and saw red on their lips. "This can't be happening," Regina worried, again, standing up. The pain in her arm from the wound was still there but that was on the back of her mind. Robin stood up too, a tight grip on her waist just in case she collapsed again. The field was a plethora of red; red roses of different shades, crimson lips of Regina and light red lips of Robin, the red flowers that were embroidered on Snow's dress and the dark red of the blood that was flowing out of the dead bodies of the bandits. It was all beautiful. It was all wrong. Regina loved Daniel, and Robin loved Marian so why were they both seeing colour?

"I. I don't know what to say, Regina," Robin whispered. He had to admit, Regina was stunning, and one of the most beautiful women he laid ever eyes on. He had heard stories of the child bride's beauty but no words could describe her physique in the flesh. Robin didn't realise how close they were; Robin stood behind Regina, his arms encompassing her thin waste. If Regina was to turn her head towards him, their lips would be millimetres apart. Regina gasped and held her breath at the close proximity they were in. The tensions were high. Robin had just saved her life and now they were seeing red and everything else in the world seemed irrelevant. This man, whose lips were inches from hers, had made her see colour and this meant that they were meant to be. Regina cleared her throat and stepped away as she heard Snow shout her name.

"It's Queen Regina. I'm married. To the King," Regina said, trying to be stern but failing miserably.

"You're right," Robin sighed. "This, us, couldn't work, right?"

"No absolutely not." Regina and Robin were both deeply upset by it. Whatever force or magic brought them together should be listened to. The pair both loathed the fact that they would have colour in their lives and not be able to share it with each-other, even if they had only known each-other for little under five minutes.

Snow shouted Regina again, to which Roland joined in by shouting his papa.

"What do you want, Snow?" Regina shouted with a hint of annoyance in her tone, which Robin picked up on.

"I'm hungry," she called back.

"Me too," shouted Roland, as he began to pout. Regina laughed at the sight of Roland and went to her bag which was on her horse. Except her horse was nowhere to be seen. Regina looked around the red field for the horse and began to panic.

"Shit," she whispered under her breath. She rarely cussed, but it was times like these when she couldn't help it. Snow's black horse was by the river but Rocinante was gone. "Rocinante?" She shouted worryingly. "Rocinante!" She yelled, louder. Snow noticed that the horse was missing too and began to shout too.

"Regina, what's wrong?" Robin asked, touching her elbow gently.

"It's my horse, she's disappeared ," she replied in distress. "Rocinante?"

"What does she look like?"

"Brown. When I got her she was brown with a white stripe down her nose. Obviously she's dark grey now but you understand, right? " Regina was getting more concerned by the second.

"Hey, It's ok we'll find her Regina," he said, pulling her in for a hug. Robin knew he shouldn't be doing it, but something about the woman drew him in. He wanted to find out more about her, to be close to her. He'd probably never see her again after today and so he wanted to savour every moment with her. Fuck, why was he so caught up on her? He'd just met the women. Sure, she may be his destined soul mate but she could be evil for all he knows. But the truth was he didn't care. He saw the same look he had on his own face on hers; pain. She had been hurt. And by the look of it, very badly. Regina may have riches and the grand title of Queen but he knew that it meant nothing to her. He watched what those bandits were about to do to her, and before he shot the first arrow he saw her give up. She was ready to give her dignity, her pride, even her life away and she didn't even care. She needed saving. Perhaps he could do that.

Robin withdrew from the hug, which Regina didn't decline, and sighed. "I didn't see her when I shot the arrows. She could be as far as the beach by now." He saw the panic in her eyes; he knew this horse meant a great deal to her. "Don't worry though; I'm sure she's safe. Look, you've had a rough morning to say the least, perhaps if I could walk you home? When I get back to my camp, my men and I will start searching for your horse and I will return her to you, you have my word."

Regina looked up at Robin. Shock was the first thing she felt; no one had ever been this kind to her. Not even her dear father. She loved him and he loved her too, but he was never strong enough to stand up to Cora. He let Leopold take advantage of her and never said a word.

"What do you want in return?" Regina replied as she stepped out of his warm embrace. Regina wasn't child anymore, she knew that nothing got you nothing and that everything had a price. Even if she was destined to be with him, she knew nothing about him except that he was Robin Hood, the famous thief. "Gold? Silver?" She said sternly.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? No, that can't be right-" Regina was cut off.

"I just want to help, that's all. Plus it gives Roland and I something to do," he smiled. "Roland? Princess Snow" he shouted before he gave Regina the chance to retaliate.

"Yes, Papa?" Roland replied as he ran over, a bouquet of roses in one hand, followed by Snow who looked concerned for the horse's safety.

"We're going to walk Queen Regina and Princess Snow back to the castle, and then we are going to look for Regina's horse with the merry men, is that ok?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes Papa!" Roland laughed as he took Regina's hand ready to go. Regina again was in shock as the boy's hand laced into hers. No child had ever wanted to do that. Regina's arm started to ache again from the arrow, but she endured and did not move as the boy looked happy. "Are you ready to go, my majesty?" Roland giggled.

"I will in a second, as soon as Princess Snow gets on her horse," Regina replied. Snow eagerly jumped on the horse with ease, somehow managing to avoid getting caught in her dress.

"Oh no! Regina!" Snow cried out. Regina turned around and grimaced at the Princess. "I have some mud on my dress! And I'm still hungry!" Regina looked down at her grey riding gear, now almost soaked red with blood, as a stern look appeared on her face. Robin saw Regina's reaction to the Princesses petty complaints and began laughing. "Robin of Locksley what is funny?" Snow demanded.

"Oh nothing, I just remembered something," he joked, capturing Regina's eye before laughing again. It was obvious that Regina loathed the Princess and seeing them interact was hilarious.

"Snow," Regina said, her voice had a hint of seriousness to it. "Would Roland be able to ride the horse with you? He is only small and we can stop off at the apple tree we passed on the way here so you can eat then," she fake smiled, her arm now aching with pain. Truth be told, as much as Regina wanted to hold the boy's precious hand, the pain in her arm was getting worse by the minute. Plus, Regina wanted to see the red of an apple again, and and the tree they'd stop at could show her just that. She so desperately wanted to see the same red she first saw with Daniel. She wanted to spend more time outdoors, specifically with Robin, but she wouldn't let anyone know that.

Snow contemplated her proposition and nodded her head. Roland smiled as he was lifted onto the horse by Robin.

"You two can race ahead if you want. There shouldn't be any bandits about seeing as I just killed them all, so could you both wait for us by the apple tree not far away?" Robin asked.

"You trust us?" Snow replied, happily.

"Indeed, my Princess," Robin, kissing the Princesses hand. He then approached Regina, who looked stunned that Robin had so much faith. Snow smiled and raced ahead with Roland to the tree.

"And what was all that about, thief?" Regina smirked, as Robin came closer to her.

"I wanted them out of here," he said, seriously.

"Why?" Regina questioned, becoming slightly concerned.

"Regina, tell me you feel it."

"Feel what?"

"This. Regina, this strange feeling that I know we both know we haven't felt in a long time. I see the same look in your eye that I have," Robin said, as he stood in an incredibly close proximity to her.

"I don't know what you're on about," she lied. Oh, Regina felt it. She knew exactly what she felt: the colour red.

"Bullshit. When I picked up that rose on the grey and we both looked at it and saw red, everything changed. I saw it in you," Robin said as he lightly touched her cheek.

"Robin you know we cannot do this. It'll just be easier from the both of us if you took me home and we never saw each other again. I'm the Queen for fuck sake. You're a thief. This will only end in more pain and I can't go through it all again," Regina heartbreakingly said as she moved Robin's hand from her cheeky.

Robin stared at the stunning woman in front of him, taking in her beauty, as he began to shake his head.

"What?" Regina demanded.

"I've lost love before. For so long I felt empty, as if my life had no purpose. I was so close to giving up and I would have, but as soon as I saw you it all went away," he smiled. "It's like you're eyes were meant to gaze into mine, the more I get of you the stranger it feels. I may have only known you for a short time but there's no way I can live without seeing you again."

"Stop it," Regina demanded. She craved for him; they were soul mates for God's sake, but this love was forbidden. A Queen and a Thief falling in love. It would only end in tragedy.

"Stop what?" Robin smirked. "This?" he said as he wrapped his arms around her. Caressing her supple cheek, he lifted her chin; their noses almost touching. She could feel the warmth of his breath brushing the top of her lip. He gazed back into her soft grey eyes and moved up the last half inch so their lips could touch. Softly. Lovingly. They breathed their souls into each other in that kiss. That kiss; hard, but soft; fiery but cool; a split second but also forever. Their lips lingered on top of each other, eyes closed, both refusing to move an inch to end the moment. In that one kiss, they both understood the pain the other had felt, the love the other had to offer, and the beautiful heartbreak they had started.

Regina was the first to open her eyes and pull away. Her heart and mind in a raging war. Robin opened his eyes but refused to let go. He was perplexed as to why he was so attracted to her. God she was stunning in every way, but she was the Queen.

"We should, um," Regina struggled to find her words. "Roland and Snow," she whispered as she pulled out of his embrace, instantly missing the warmth.

"Yes," Robin frowned.

Regina began to walk forward towards the shaded, grey forest, leaving the red of the rose field behind. Robin walked beside her, keeping a bit of distance. Regina looked extremely conflicted and Robin didn't want to make the situation worse, the air between them expanding and filling up with the words they didn't say. Robin wavered on speaking but couldn't find the right words, so he simply grabbed her hand instead. Regina was brought out of her conflicted mind when she felt the heat of his hand touch the cold of hers but she didn't pull away. Robin smiled at Regina, warming her heart. As they carried on walking further out of the small forest, Robin spotted the apple tree down at the bottom off a tree, Snow and Roland both sat down munching on the apples. Regina let go of Robin's hand and began to race down the hill, nearly falling over fallen branches off the thick trees that encompassed them until she reached the apple tree at the bottom. Regina froze as her eyes fixated on the red apples around her. Just as beautiful as the ones she first saw with Daniel. Tears began to form in her eyes as she reached up and grabbed one from the tree. She held the apple in her hand and put it close to her chest, her eyes closing as the memory of the stable boy flooding in her mind.

"Regina? Are you ok?" Snow piped up.

"Yes, I'm fine dear," Regina replied, quietly, not opening her eyes.

"Well Roland and I have had plenty to eat so we're ready to go back home to my father now," Snow smiled, as she walked over to her horse.

"Snow, we're just going to stay here for a while," Robin said as he finally made it to the bottom of the hill. "Can't you see that Regina has had a hard day so far, let her rest for a moment, go play with Roland." Roland ran over to his papa with a cheeky grin, his mouth full with apples. He gave both him and Regina a hug before running back to play with Snow. "Now I can see why you hate her," Robin chuckled as he sat down.

Regina opened up here eyes and smiled, as she joined him on the dirty forest floor.

"Oh trust me; her insufferable personality is just the beginning of my hatred for her," Regina scowled, making Robin laugh even more. "What?" Regina smiled.

"Nothing," he cheekily replied, "It's just the name, Snow. A bit precious, don't you think?"

Regina chuckled. "Oh God tell me about it, why would anyone name their child after something so cold? Actually, that's quite fitting for her."

"What about the Kings name, Leopold? Now that's a name you don't hear so often!" Robin began, giggling, but once he saw Regina's perfect face drop when hearing his name, his heart sunk. "Regina I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" He began.

"No it's fine," Regina replied, emotionless, looking down at the magnificent red apple in her hand.

"No it isn't. I should have been more sensitive, I-" Robin was lost for words. "Is he nothing like the people say he is?" He asked, timidly.

"He's kind to the people, treats them with respect and dignity." Regina's voice was barely a whisper. Robin moved closer to Regina and put one arm around her to comfort her. Snow and Roland were too busy playing pretend to notice his advances. "He loves his Kingdom and his daughter very much. But his wife? Sorry, his second wife, I'm nothing to him. He..." Regina stopped to think of the right way of phrasing the next utterance that came from her crimson lips. Robin knew what she was going to say and so he brought her into a tight hug. Regina placed her head on his shoulder. Robin was showing her kindness, something her life lacked. Tears began streaming down her cheek but she wiped them away before anyone noticed. She was taught better than to cry in public.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, Milday," Robin whispered into her ear. Regina nodded, her head still resting on his shoulder.

"You smell like forest," Regina giggled, sitting up. Robin smiled at her comment.

"Why thank you, my Queen," Robin replied, smugly.

"That wasn't a compliment, Thief," she smirked, lightly punching his shoulder. As she did though, she felt her injured arm tense up with pain. "Shit," she whispered as she looked at the wound; dark red blood began seeping through her clothes.

"Fuck, we need to get you home soon," Robin said as he ripped off more cloth and began to wrap it around the wound again.

Once done, the pair got up and made their way to the children who were happily playing. Snow and Roland mounted the horse and they began to make the last part of the journey home. The four of them were laughing the whole way, Roland telling Jokes, Snow telling stories about how she embarrassed herself at her first ball, Robin telling stories about the pranks he played on his Merry Men. Regina couldn't join in, only laugh at their antics. Time passed, the four bonded, and they finally reached the Castle. Snow said goodbye and ran off to the castle, leaving Robin, Regina and Roland behind.

"Regina I need to see you again, alone," Robin said, bluntly.

"And I you, thief, but I can't leave the castle on my own," Regina sadly replied.

"You'll find a way. I believe in you. Tomorrow, meet me by the greying tower near the sea," he smiled, "Meet me before the sun rises so we can watch it together." He grabbed Regina's hand but she pulled away.

"Not here; Leopold has eyes everywhere. I'll be there," she whispered. Regina smiled at Roland and began to walk away, but stopped and turned around. "Thank you," She said, gleefully.

"Regina wait," Robin called, as he ran towards her. Regina looked puzzled as Robin reached into his pocket. "For you, Milady," Robin grinned as he pulled out the same red rose which they laid eyes upon earlier. Regina looked surprised as she took the rose in her hand. She looked deep into Robin's eyes.

"Tomorrow," She smiled as she turned around and ran off.

"Tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- ok here's the latest chapter! This took a while to write because life's getting in the way at the moment! I've been on holiday for the past two weeks and I didn't have wifi so I was unable to upload anything, so I just wrote and wrote! Hopefully this long chapter will be enough!

My inspiration for this chapter is: "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow creeps in this petty place from day to day"

That's enough of my rambling... Enjoy!

***

Regina grasped onto the rose for dear life as she slowly paced into the castle, a small genuine smile plastered on her face. Regina had not genuinely smiled in years, but today was the exception. It was about midday; the white sun in the light grey sky washed over the black and grey cradle and the healthy environment around it. It was to be a hot day as there were birds, deer and horses our bathed in the grandeur of the sky.  
Regina's mind wandered from the thief whom she doted on, to her schedule for today. She was required to have lunch with the King, then she had her lesson with the Imp and finally she had that bloody ball to attend before the promise of tomorrow came. Regina never realised how close she was to the prison she called a castle until she was brought from her thoughts as the black doors opened in front of her. She usually never cared for this castle; she found it dull, each room brought up horrific memories but today there was something different about it. As the doors parted, Regina held her breath as she saw the deep red carpet. She looked up and saw a plethora of shades of red on the paintings that where hung around the room, her eyes wide in amazement. There was a mahogany table in the centre of the room which held a simple vase with a myriad of different types of flowers, one in the centre being a red poppy. Regina released the breath she didn't know she was holding in and simply stood in awe.

"My Queen, are you ok?" A servant asked, slightly confused, making Regina jump. It was Johanna.

"Yes I am. Why would you think otherwise?" Regina retorted, looking at the woman. Her lips were scarlet red.

"Well, My Queen, Snow came rushing in with the biggest smile I've seen for a while, she told me that you were attacked and, in her words not mine, 'a handsome man and his adorable little son' saved you-" Johanna stopped as her eyes dropped to Regina's wound on her arm. "Oh my goodness, we must get you to a doctor immediately."

"Johanna. It's fine. We're running late anyway, let me have lunch first with my husband and step-daughter, I can sort it out later," Regina replied. Of course, the wound was hurting her like hell, but she knew the imp would use magic to fix it, even if there was a price.

"Are you sure, My Queen? I'm sure the King can wait-"

"Yes. Is that all, Johanna?"

"Yes, well, no, My Lady," Johanna mumbled.  
"Well, speak up then," Regina replied, her patience being tested. She just wanted to get lunch over and done with; Johanna wasting her time was the last thing she needed.

"Snow White did mention that you and 'the handsome man' spent a lot of time together. And as you walked in you stopped for about a minute or two looking at the carpet-" Johanna was cut off.

"Are you insinuating something Johanna?" Regina's voice had a sharp tone to it.

"No, My Queen. But may I just say that if you do see something different, say the colour of that beautiful rose your hiding behind your back, then your secret is safe with me. The Princess is waiting outside the dining hall for you," Johanna smiled as she walked away.

Regina was shocked by the comment. Was she that obvious? She didn't have time to think. Regina raced upstairs and placed the rose into an opaque vase which sat on her dresser. She quickly changed outfits into a white virginal dress and donned a ruby red lipstick; innocent, but without sin. You could see the wound and its bloody dressing through the netting of the arms but she cared not; Rumple would heal it soon enough. What was important was that she got today over and done with so she could see Robin again. God that man was always invading her thoughts.

Regina met up with Snow who, like Johanna said, was patiently waiting outside of the dining hall for her. Snow grinned as Regina approached her, but he smile dropped as Regina pulled her to the side and got down to her level, grasping Snow's shoulders with a harsh force, her nails almost digging into the untouched skin.

"Snow. Listen to me. It is vital that you don't tell your father that you and I both spent a lot of time with Robin and Roland," Regina said quietly, but with a menacing tone. Snow looked scared to death.

"Why? They saved our lives? Shouldn't father know that?" She questioned.

"He can know that he saved our lives but no more. Do you understand me?" Regina's grip tightened on the girl- Snow understood how serious she was.

"Yes." The girl muttered, her voice barely a whisper. Regina stared in the brat's eyes, she couldn't trust the girl, but if Snow only shut her god forsaken mouth for a few hours it would give her time to think of an excuse as to why they all spent so much time together. After all, a Queen and a Princess should not interact with a thief. Regina let go of Snows shoulders and got up. Snow winced at the slight pain Regina had caused but composed herself when she saw the glare plastered on her step-mothers steel face. The pair momentarily glanced at each other as the doors to the hall opened. Snow ran over to her father and gave him a sickening hug as Regina gracefully waltzed over to the table, sitting down across from some woman who she cared not off.

"My dear Snow," Leopold said loudly. "Whatever happened to your dress? Wife! You were supposed to look after her!"

"It's ok father, Regina and I were ambushed-" Snow replied calmly before she was interrupted.

"-AMBUSHED? My darling Snow you could have died!" Leopold bellowed. "And to think you didn't have any knights to save you?" He glared at Regina who was looking past the King, intensely staring at some painting in the background, popping a grape in her mouth. She knew the whole table was in shock, looking at the Queen but Regina cared not. Her mind was in other places.

"Father there's nothing to worry about! Regina told me to hide and it worked. The bandits never saw me. Regina did get hurt on her arm, quite badly actually, but she managed to fend them off," Snow smiled, looking at Regina who nodded her head in approval of the girl's lies.

"Well so long as you are ok my precious one, that's all that matters," Leopold said calmly, kissing Snow on the head. Regina rolled her eyes and ate another grape. "And you, my wife, how dare you take our daughter out of the castle without any Knights-"

"But my Lord," Regina replied, she furrowed her eyebrows once she realises she was being blamed for this. She had to talk her way out of it or she'd be in a world of pain tonight. "Snow is safe,  
Isn't she? I hid Snow safe away from the bandits; they came and attacked me. They were going to harm me. Rape me. Even kill me for all I knew. But Snow was safe the whole time. I wouldn't let anyone harm her, you have to believe me-" Regina's pleads were interrupted. She hated talking about Snow in that way but it had to be done. She wanted to girl to suffer, but at her own hands not some worthless bandits.

"-Silence," Leopold bellowed. Regina froze as the King stood up and towered over her. She wanted nothing more to slice the Kings throat and bathe in his crimson red blood. "You're making a fool of yourself in front of our honoured guests. They care not for your lies or your wounds." The King spat at her. "You better shut your whore mouth before I do." Everyone in the room was subjected to silence at the King's words. Regina was the King's wife; he could do and say as he wanted with her. Regina's blood was boiling, her hands tightly clenched into a fist by her side.

"Father please stop that!" Snow pitched in, nearly in tears after what her father had called her stepmother. "She's telling the truth! Regina was ready to put herself in great danger to save me! Her arm proves it!" Regina couldn't believe Snow was defending her against her father; her threat must have worked wonders on the girl. The room all stared at Regina, more specifically her arm. The pure white of the dress next to her arm was dripping with blood, ruining the dress. But Regina kept her composure, not caring for the wound or the dress.

"Wait a moment," one of the Queen's from a distant land piped up. She recognised her accent from her wedding; it was one hard to forget. "Your wife essentially sacrificed herself, was willing to let unspeakable things happen to her in order to save your daughter, you can even see she badly injured her arm, and yet you don't even thank her?" She quizzed. Regina had to hide her smirk; she knew Leopold hated giving her thanks or credit for anything she did. There were strong mummers of agreement between the men and women sat around the table.

Leopold huffed and sat down. His already fragile image was on the line so he had to comply to the woman's requests. "Fine. Thank you, wife," Leopold disdainfully mumbled under his breath as he began to stuff his face with roasted swan.

Time passed. Dinner was a bore, just as Regina suspected. Aside from that little ramble, Regina was ignored for the rest of the dinner which she was secretly thrilled about; she despised all the small talk Royals and Nobility discussed. She finally got up to leave for her lesson with the Imp after staying at the retched table for an appropriate amount of time when she was stopped.

"My dear wife where are you going?" Leopold asked, as he stood up, once again asserting his pathetic dominance over her.

"Nowhere of importance," Regina smiled half heartedly as she began to walk out, but was stopped again by his voice.

"Then why leave? We still have tonight's ball to discuss."

"I'm sure you and your Noble men can organize this ball without me being present, just as you have done the past hundred grand balls you have had. Now if you don't mind, my dearest husband, I have somewhere to be," Regina grimaced as she hurried off before the King had chance to speak up again. Regina raced through the castle in a hurry. She was going to be late. The servants were confused by the Queens hurried state but none dared to question her, instead moved out of the way so she could quickly pass them by. Regina made it outside and rushed into the huge maze in which she would meet Rumple in the centre of. Regina had memorized the route to the centre; she could probably do it in her sleep, but today she found herself getting lost. She was too busy noticing the red carnations which were growing in the maze, as well as her thoughts being overrun by Robin. His magnificent eyes and dimples made her so distracted that she was truly lost.

"Fuck," Regina said out loud. She hadn't a clue where to go, or where she came from. Regina turned a corner and screamed as she saw the Imp.

"Gods, you scared the living day lights out of me," she frowned.

"And you got lost. Why?" The imp asked childishly, walking around her.

"Does it matter why?" Regina retorted, trying to keep her composure as the imp inspected her.

"Well of course it does, dearie. If you can't concentrate on going left or right then how on earth can you concentrate in my lessons?" He laughed as he grabbed her chin, startling Regina. "So go on, why are you so fascinated by those red carnations?" He let go.

"You can see colour?" Regina asked, perplexed.

"Oh well of course I can! Being the Dark One has its perks!" The Imp gleamed as a malicious grin grew on his face. Regina furrowed her eyebrows at the statement, opened her mouth to say something but a shooting pain in her arm interrupted her.

"Can you heal my arm with magic?" Regina finally questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"Most certainly," he smiled as he brought his hand over her left bicep, but stopped and stared into her eyes. "For a price."

"Fine, fine just do it," she demanded. The Imp complied and with a wave of his had the wound healed. Regina sighed as the pain went away, leaving her olive skin practically perfect again. "What do you want, Imp?"

"Oh I want so much! So much indeed! But what can I get from you, hmmm?" The imp smirked as he grabbed her arm.

"Never," Regina spat as she pushed his hand off her bicep.

"Oh, feeling rebellious, are we?" Rumple gawped. "Don't worry, dearie, I'm not the King, I don't desire that!" He giggled. Regina could feel anger consume her. "No, what I want is a single hair from both you," he smiled as he pulled a piece of her Raven black hair from her head, "and your true love," Rumple said, singing.

"My true love is dead-" Regina quickly replied, hurt from the latter part of his statement.

"No, no. Not the stable boy," Rumple replied as he held out his hand. Black smoke encompassed it as he spoke again. "I want a single hair from the man who gave you this." The smoke cleared to reveal the rose which Robin had given her. Regina gasped and took it from his hand, not wanting his twisted darkness to ruin the beauty of the rose. "What's his name?"

"Can we get on with our lesson?" Regina mused, trying to change the subject.

"I won't ask again, dearie, what is his name," Rumple demanded. Regina knew the imp was serious. She contemplated lying to him, but she knew that he'd eventually find out. Plus Regina didn't want to get on his bad side; she knew what he could do to people who were his enemies.

"Robin. Robin Hood is his name," Regina replied, her heart racing at the thought of his name.

"The thief?" Rumple laughed. "A Queen and a thief? My my dear, you've really messed up this time. Dirty blond hair, blue eyes? I don't know what you see in him, he probably hasn't bathed in weeks, or he's off stealing something right now. Oh I wonder what your mother, or the King, would do if they found out about your secret lover-"

"-Do not talk about him like that." Regina declared; her voice hoarse and a little louder than it should be. She was angry at him, yet a little taken back; Robin had blue eyes, just like the blue of Daniels, yet they both looked so different. In Daniels she could see the innocent and hope of youth, like the colour the sky was in the morning, the promise of a beautiful day. Yet Robin's eyes? They seemed dark and full off loss, like the harsh sea which lured people to their deaths, deeply pessimistic, but oh so intriguing. Rumple froze at her statement and tilted his head to the side as an evil smile crept up on his face.

"Nyahaha!" Rumple gleamed, jumping about. "Now that's the Evil Queen I like to see." He calmed himself down and licked his lips in excitement. "Now, can you get that hair or not?"

Regina closed her eyes. She hated making deals with the imp, the price was always too high, but this time she was worried about how little he wanted.

"Yes," she murmured.

"Excellent, dearie. Now, I want you to work on your teleportation."

***

Robin couldn't stop smiling. His hand never left Roland's as the strolled back to the camp. He hadn't felt this happy since before Marian died; Robin loved Marian dearly, but with Regina? That was an entirely new feeling. He felt addicted to her. He couldn't get enough of her and he had only met the woman a few hours ago. The way she seemed to gleam against the harsh dark greys of the forest, her crimson lips which we're deliciously tempting, her figure which, despite the red blood pouring out of, still seemed perfect. She invaded his thoughts. Robin didn't even realised they had reached the camp until Roland let go of his hand and rushed over to Little John and handed over the red bouquet of roses.

"Ey up," Will chuckled as Robin sat beside him on the log facing the burning fire. Robin was encapsulated by the dancing red flames; he didn't hear Will. It was only when he felt a hard punch to his upper arm did he realise where he was. "What's got into ya, mate? I ain't seen ya with a smile this big since, well since forever!" Robin hadn't even realised he was smiling.

"That's none of your business," Robin smirked.

"Oh I know that look," Tuck beamed, as he roasted a few chickens over the fire. "He's met someone."

"Oi, Little John, Alan, every bloody one of ya get over 'ere!" Will shouted, excitedly.

"Oh god no it's no big deal, Will!" Robin retorted, unable to rid his face of the smile Regina had caused.

"Oh it most certainly is!" Little John laughed, placing his warm hands on Robin's shoulders. "What's she like, ey?" By now the whole camp had surrounded their leader, a mixture of happiness and confusion plastered on their faces.

"She's, well, how can I even describe her?" Robin began. "She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever laid eyes on. I mean, don't get me wrong, Marian was a stunner, but her?" Robin had to pause to find the right words, if there were any words to describe her glorious complexion. "She was like a Goddess. Like a drug. The more I got of her, the stranger it felt."

"That's all?" Alan pitched in. "You meet a lass and all we get is that she was like a drug?"

"I didn't just meet her. I saved her, Alan. She was being attacked by these bandits in the middle of the Rose field; they were going to rape her, kill her. I had to save her. So I shot every bandit I could see, but I accidentally caught her bicep in the process-"

"-Gods, ya such an idiot, Robin," Will laughed.

"Well when I went to fix her wound, I gave her a rose as an apology and when we both looked at it, it was red," Robin gleamed. "So I walked her back to her home, kissed her a little bit and we're meeting up by that greying tower by the sea tomorrow."

"Bloody hell, you must be mad for her," Alan smiled.

"Like I said. She's a drug, a growing addiction. I've been kissed by a rose on the grey," Robin trailed off, his mind wandering back to the perfect kiss they both shared.

"How big was her arse?" Will joked, bringing Robin back down to earth.

"Fuck off!" Robin retorted, shoving Will off the log. "But if you must know, it puts Nora's to shame," Robin jested, looking at Little John.

"Well what's her name then?" Tuck asked cheerfully.

"Regina!" Roland perked up as he emerged from his tent. "And I played with her daughter, Snow! And we had so much fun playing together and we ate an apple from the tree and Regina got hurt and we brought them back to the castle and I went on Snow's horse and Daddy gave Regina a rose and saved her from the mean men!"

The whole camp stopped and looked at Robin with fear in their eyes.

"Bloody hell, you've fallen for the Queen?" Will whispered, shocked. "Ya know she's married, mate?"

"Yes to the King, I know. She hates it; he treats her like scum, and her bratty step-daughter is a right pain too," Robin declared, defending Regina.

"Robin if the King found out he'll have you head," Tuck replied with a tone of concern.

"He won't find out. Regina will make sure he doesn't."

"You sure about that, Robin?" Alan said.

"I trust her. Look. I don't care if I have none of your approval, I'm meeting her again tomorrow," Robin said angrily as he stood up. He began to walk towards a river to bathe but he stopped and looked back at his merry men. "Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, if any of you see a brown horse, then please let me know," he grimaced as he ran away to the river, admiring the red poppies he saw on his way there.

***

Regina was exhausted. Her lesson with the Imp was a failure; she was supposed to be able to teleport long distances, but she could only move a mere few feet. She had only herself to blame; she couldn't get that damn thief out of her mind. Rumple left the lesson extremely unhappy, threatening to take her heart if she didn't pull her act together. And now, Regina had to get ready for yet another pointless ball. She hated them with a passion. The only thing that could help her get through them was the copious amount of wine she would drink. She knew that Snow and Leopold would dance together all night, he would praise her and show her off to all of his guests while Regina was forced to sit on her thrown, looking perfect as she gathered dust. She didn't understand why the King had to throw these lavish, expensive balls while there were people in villages nearby starving to death, their homes destroyed, and yet the tax payer's money was being spent on these worthless night. Regina made it a rule that when she becomes the Queen, she would never have unnecessary, pointless grand balls, the tax payers money would go back to the tax payer.

Regina searched her wardrobe for a fitting outfit. Most of the gowns she owned Leopold had bought her, but they did not suit her, more of his dead wife. She eventually decided to don the only red dress she had, in honour of Robin. The dress fitted her well, the long sleeves laced with gold. It was a V neck and required a corset underneath; her corset was far too tight but she knew the King ordered for her to be a sight craved by all, so the pain of not breathing she would have to endure. Most of hair came down past her breasts, while the rest of it was tied into a fancy up-do. The dark red lipstick perfectly matched the dark red of the dress; she no longer looked like the innocent child, her mother would most definitely approve.

She made her way down the hall and met up with King Leopold as he waited outside of the ballroom entrance, ready to be announced with his wife. Regina stood by him, but left enough distance. That was, until he leant over and whispered in her ear.  
"If you pull a stunt like what happened at dinner today, you'll regret ever being born."  
Regina froze in her spot. She started seeing red as he blood boiled. She was going to murder him, torture him, make him beg for death. She was brought from her malicious thoughts as the door began to open and the herald announced the King and his Wife. Leopold took her hand into his and squeezed it tight as they stepped out into the ballroom. The world was still black, white, grey for Regina, except for the colour of red; a colour the room significantly lacked. She was the only one to wear a red dress, but she could see the ruby lips of the people she passed by, the red jewellery the women proudly wore, and most importantly, the red wine she saw being served. The King let go of her hand as they sat down on their respective seats at the end of the ballroom, Snow already seated on the left hand of her father.

"I would like everyone to raise a glass," the King smiled as he stood up from his thrown. His stance was much different to the one at lunch, instead of him appearing dominant and furious; he seemed relaxed, calmer, like a true King should be. "To our honoured guests here tonight, King Edgar and his wife from Learton, King Edmund and his wife from Gloucestershire, Prince Vincent and Princess Aouda from Yehnisar, and finally, the most honoured guest here tonight, my precious daughter, Snow White." Regina wanted to throw up.

Snow stood in a mixture of shock, amazement and embarrassment. "Father! You make me blush! What have I done to deserve such an honour?" She gasped as she took her father's hand. Leopold's grip on her hand was nothing compared to the harshness of his on Regina.

"You, my sweet girl, deserve all the honours after your near death experience today," Leopold told the room. Regina rolled her eyes. "It made me realise how lucky I am to still have you. I still get to gaze on your beautiful face, and each day, you remind me of my dear late wife. If she were here, she would be so proud of you," he smiled.

"Oh father!" Snow smiled, a tear running down her face. Regina had to look away and almost retched.

"And so! A toast! To my dear Snow, may she forever be the fairest in the land!" Leopold said as he raised his glass. Everyone in the room followed suit, bar Regina who simply downed her red wine. She looked at a servant and ordered another one.

The King and Snow danced the evening away. The festive, jolly music played, the guests all had a grand time, but not once did anyone talk to Regina, they only looked and admired her beauty. The women looked in jealousy at her ethereal face, expensive gown, while the men never noticed anything other than the cleavage the literal breath-taking corset caused. She hadn't moved from her thrown once. She only interacted with the same servant, a boy of only 16, who served her more wine every ten minutes. Regina felt more trapped than ever. Her magic was the only thing keeping her mentally stable right now, despite it corrupting her heart. The darkness was always there lurking; it took everything in her will-power to not incinerate everyone in the ball room. The night eventually came to an end; the white sun had set leaving the black, harsh night to stand in its place. Once most of the guest had bid their goodbyes, Regina stood up, rather tipsily, and made her way back to her chambers. She knew no one would miss her absence. She reached her bedroom and collapsed on the bed for a moment, taking in the events that happened over the day. No matter what she did, tomorrow could not come fast enough. She didn't bother undressing and simply laid on the bed, her feet dangling off the edge, closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber; that was until she was woken by the sound of footsteps.  
His footsteps.  
Regina panicked. Became the 17 year old girl again who couldn't defend herself. The footsteps became louder until eventually he flung open the door and slammed it shut. Regina stood up as he approached her. She had managed to escape him the last few weeks, but she could smell the alcohol on him. He was more drunk than she was. Leopold grabbed hold of her and spun her around so her back was facing him. He began to rip off her dress as she tried to stop him.

"My King, you are clearly drunk, perhaps another night when you are sober?" She pleaded with him. But he continued to tear her dress and undo her corset until her back was bare. Regina felt nothing but anger as he mounted her. She was going to kill him in the most painful way possible, make him suffer for his actions, make him bleed and bruise so much his white skin could not repair itself. She was to learn a cloning spell in little under a month time so she could simply send her clone-self into his room to be forced against her will, but until then she had to suffer.

***

Robin lost track of time. He had missed tea and the friendly, warm sun began to set, yet he was still sat stark naked in a river washing himself. All he could think about was Regina. Anger and confusion and lust entered him. He wanted her, wanted to hold her in his arms, protect her from the dangers of the realm. He didn't understand why she was always on his mind when he had only known her a day, why he made her forget every tragic moment in his life. He hated the fact that she made him forget, but more importantly, he hated how she couldn't fully be his. Robin sat on the same rock, the harsh iciness of the river hitting his legs but Robin couldn't even feel the bitter water. Robin stayed perched on the rock until he heard a voice approaching him from behind.

"Robin?" the voice inquired. Robin knew the voice well; Little John. "Oh thank goodness, you're alive. We'd thought you'd gone haywire and ran off," he smiled, standing behind Robin, but keeping his distance.

"Sorry, I must have lost track of time," Robin chuckled as he turned around and stood up.

"Ey up Robin, you might want to get some clothes on," he laughed, shielding his eyes from Robin's body. Robin looked down and began to blush. He ran out of the river and to his clothes which he immediately donned, the fabric becoming soaked with the water as Robin didn't bother to dry off. "Ah, that's better, mate. Look, we're all sorry for what we said before. I'm sure the Queen, sorry, _Regina_ , is lovely," he smiled.

"Thanks for the apology, Little John, she really is," Robin replied, walking over to his best friend.

"Roland's missed you these past few hours," Little John said, sheepishly.

"Oh fuck. I'm hardly father of the year. God, how am I going to make it up to him?"

"I'm sure you'll find something. Anyway, we've got Turkey for tea tonight; Will hunted it down this morning. The hunt has been quite bad lately."

"Yes I've heard. Let's make our way back to camp, the sooner I can sleep, the better. Tomorrow can't seem to come fast enough."

"Good idea, mate. Don't worry, she'll be waiting for you," Little John smiled.

"Thanks," Robin chuckled, giving Little John a manly hug. "And, thank you."

"You just said that, mate!" Little John replied, smirking.

"No, I mean thank you for giving me the opportunity to get them roses for Nora," Robin said, genuinely. Little John gave him a small smile and lightly punched Robin's shoulder, "Hey! What was that for?" He laughed

"Don't you be getting all sloppy on me now!" Little John mused. The men began to walk back to camp, exchanging thoughts on their new love interest. Nora was the binary opposite of Regina; she had short blonde hair, was extremely skinny, tall and yet was tender-hearted, not closed off and clearly had no darkness marked on her. Robin knew little of Regina compared to that of Little John and Nora, but he knew she was being trained by the Imp. He knew what she was capable of; ripping out hearts, creating fire from nowhere, and love. If she would only open up to the possibility of it. The men knew they were close to the camp as the aroma of cooked bird entered their noses, making their stomach's growl fiercely. Robin approached the logs surrounded by the camp fire and said nothing, only looked at the sorry faces the Merry Men had plastered on their faces.

The meal Tuck had cooked was delicious- the turkey cut to perfection and sprinkled lightly with a few herbs and spices. It was a shame when there wasn't enough for seconds; nevertheless, the men enjoyed what they had. Robin tucked Roland into his sleeping bag and kissed him goodnight; his child already flat out due to the adventurous day they had. Robin then ran to his own tent, the cold night biting him and jumped in his sleeping bag. The silence of the night was interrupted by owls hooting and crickets chirping, but Robin cared not. For when he opened his eyes in the morning he would see a new colour.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- Oh my goodness ok! You have no idea how sorry I am for the long gap between updates, I've had exams and rehearsals and shows and work and it's just been a nightmare this past month so I haven't had time to write at all, it's so frustrating because I want to get the story out there! I promise I'll try and update the next chapter soon! I hope you enjoy!

Robin woke with a jolt. A zapping sensation came over him which caused him to wake from his dreamless sleep. His eyes shot open as his breath quickened, his mind racing over what had just happened. Robin squinted, his eyes adjusting to the darkness in the tent; he could barely make out any objects but the faint light of the rising sun helped him navigate to the tent opening. As the cool wind hit Robin's arm, goose-flesh appeared on his skin when he noticed the ground wasn't entirely grey. Robin knelt down and ripped some grass from the ground, he was in shock. He remembered green. The grass had a dark green glow which Robin couldn't help stare at until the wind picked up and blew it out of his hands. Robin was brought from his thoughts as he heard birds chirping and flying above him. He looked up to the trees and saw the pine green leaves which swayed, and the moss which was encompassing the grey bark. Robin laughed at the marvellous sight, he had seen green before, the first time was fascinating, but the way it looked today was more beautiful than ever, as if the Gods had blessed the earth. His mind shifted from the shades of green to the person who had caused this to happen, Regina. Robin smiled just thinking about her, wondering if she was experiencing the same sensation that he was.

"Ey up there mate," Will said yawning, peeping out of his tent, "don't mean to startle ya but could you, ya know, not just randomly laugh at the crack of dawn? Some of us are tryna bleeding sleep ere," he mumbled.

Robin couldn't help but chuckle, "sorry Will," he apologised, a smile plastered on his face. "I'm just, I need to be somewhere soon. Could you watch Roland for me for a few hours?"

"And what's in it for me, ey?" Will smirked. Obviously he would watch Roland, he couldn't get enough of the kid, but he would try none the less to get something out of it.

"You get to spend a few hours with the most precious boy on earth, now get your lazy arse out of bed and start making breakfast," Robin jokingly ordered, pulling Will out of the tent.

"Fine, mate I'll do it, but ya owe me one!" Will huffed, giving Robin a soft punch on the shoulder.

"I do believe you owe me about twenty!" Robin laughed as Will began walking towards the campfire

"Fuck off or you'll be late!" Will smirked as he turned his head to face Robin. Shaking his head, Robin gave Will one last smile and turned around. He began jogging but diverted his course from the tower to the local village, where he had to make a stop to buy something.

The same jolt flooded Regina's senses as she woke suddenly, lurching forward, taking in heavy breaths. It was too dark in the room for her to see anything but black, but she had to get out of there. Her stomach churned when she heard the familiar uproarious snoring that haunted her dreams, she had to get out of there. Lucky for her, Regina had sleeping quarters at the top of one of the towers; the room had been abandoned when Regina moved in so she created a secret hideout there. The room, locked by blood magic, held a four poster bed, a mahogany table and chair, her old dressing table which her father gave her before she married the King, her favourite clothes and jewellery, and all of Regina's spell books, potions and ingredients (or, more accurately, the items the Imp gave to her). An obtrusive snore from the old King beside her brought Regina back to reality. She had to leave the room she was currently in. Regina had escaped from this room in the dark many times, she knew the exact number of steps to the door. She had been working on her teleportation magic, if she truly focused in her lessons, she'd soon be able to transport herself into the secluded room, to the middle of the maze, to the tower herself and Robin would meet in soon... Robin! Regina quietly jumped out of the disgusting, almost broken bed and ran out of the doors. She was so swept up in her thoughts that she had almost forgotten about the one good thing in her life.

Regina ran through the castle, dressed only in a white, silk dressing gown, and up the stairs of the east wing tower, into her secret room. She conjured a fireball and lit the fire to add some light in the room, and almost lost her balance when she saw a green potion in a vial, sitting on the dusty shelf above the fireplace. Regina's breath stopped as she looked around the room as more items seemingly glowed a new shade of green. More potions, a few ingredients, and book covers; all making the world a more beautiful place. Slowly, Regina made her way towards the balcony and looked down. The dark green leaves on the trees made Regina smile as they swayed in the wind, her only thoughts wondering if Robin was experiencing the same emotions she was.

The chirping of the birds brought Regina down from the euphoric experience as she realised what time it was. She changed into a lose dress and wrapped a red cape around her. She conjured a crisp, red apple as she attempted to transport herself to the stables. To Regina's surprise, it worked, the grey smoke engulfed her as she was lifted from the balcony to the stables. Once landed, Regina was bitterly disappointed, remembering she had lost Rocinanté the previous day. With a huff, Regina walked over to her other horse, Whiskey, and set off for the tower.

After a good hour of riding, Regina reached the greying tower which stood at the top of the hill, with a good 90ft vertical drop into the ice cold ocean. The sun was rising over the grandeur of the harsh sea, however there were ominous clouds looming in the distance. The green grass flourished in the sun as it reached the tower, turning into vines and moss which had began to make its way up the old, crumbling walls of the tower. The tower was grey to those with and without colour, the stones it was made of were 100 shades of grey, lacking in colour yet still stunning to look at. Regina dismounted her horse brought him to the old stables which lay half way up the hill. She conjured up a bale of hay when the sunlight began to disappear behind a cloud. Regina looked up as the light grey clouds turned dark, rain began pouring down. Regina huffed as she contemplated transporting herself into the tower, but she refrained from doing it as she didn't know if Robin was there or not- no one could know about her magic. The rain was heavy, thunder erupted her thoughts making Regina jump. The atmosphere grew cold; her cape was only thin. Regina scoffed, she should have know better, this part of the Enchanted Forest was always cold and rainy. The tower wasn't too far away, she only had the rest of the hill to climb. With regret, Regina began running towards the ruined entrance of the tower. Lightning struck the sea, quite close to the tower, making her scream with fright as thunder erupted once again. She hated storms. Regina was quite fit, she enjoyed exercising when she had the chance, but running up this hill in the rain, which was turning the peaceful ground into harsh mud, wasn't the easiest task. The rain had thoroughly soaked Regina by the time she reached the opening for the tower. The Queen was shivering, her hair and outfits ruined by the water. Regina began to make her way up the spiral staircase, with every step she took the staircase grew darker. She reached the top and saw the door slightly ajar. Regina took a deep breath as she slowly opened up the door.

"Regina? Is that you?" A voice said as she entered. She instantly recognised it as Robins and smiled as she made eye contact with him. Robin grinned as she entered wearing a berry red cloak. Her hair was wet due to the storm which Robin had avoided, yet she still looked ethereal. He studied her as she closed the door, but grew concerned when he saw her outfit dripping, and her body shivering, which she was clearly trying to control. He stood up from one of the few chairs, and looked concerned as he walked towards her.

"Yes it's me," she replied, smiling, but the cold was getting to her as she began to shiver some more. Robin furrowed his eyebrows as he took off her soaked cloak and discarded it on the floor. He took off his own juniper-green jacket and placed it around her, and brought her over to the fireplace which he had already lit up. "Robin you don't have to do this I'm fine," Regina complained, not wanting to sound needy. Truth be told she did need the heat, but Robin didn't need to know that.

"Of course you do Milady. I've spent plenty of time in storms and you need to warm up before you catch a cold," Robin replied, sitting close to her so she could warm up. Regina scoffed but didn't haven't the strength to argue back. Instead she rested her head on his shoulder and listened to the sound of the fire crackling, the rain pouring onto the roof, and the thunder boom in the distance. After a minute of comfortable silence, Robin piped up.

"Did you see green this-"

"-Yes," Regina interrupted. She sat up to face him and motioned the jacket she had wrapped around her. "The trees, the grass, this forest smelling jacket, it's all so..." Regina struggled to find the right word.

"Green?" Robin suggested, causing both him and Regina to laugh.

"Yes, I suppose!" She smiled, unwrapping herself from the jacket.

"How's your shoulder?" Robin asked, changing the subject. Regina's eyes widened when she realised that Rumple had healed it completely, not thinking about the consequences.

"Um," Regina stuttered. "We had a doctor visiting the castle yesterday. He used foreign magic to fix me," Regina lied. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie, she had used magic, just dark magic.

"Magic?" Robin laughed.

"You don't believe in it?"

"Of course I do, I've witnessed it first hand, I just didn't think you'd find any, let alone anyone would be kind enough to share it. The last time I checked almost every magic yielding person was evil." Robins memory was flooded with that of Marian, when he nearly died to get the wand to save his son. He was brought from his painful memory when Regina laughed.

"Magic is everywhere. Light and dark. Sometimes it can be staring right at you and you wouldn't have the faintest idea," Regina smiled, hoping that he didn't pick up on what she meant.

"Well I want to stay as far away from it as possible," Robin smiled, making Regina's smile drop into anxiety. Regina stood up and placed the jacket on the chair Robin was sat on when she entered, in order to try and change the subject.

"Is your jacket ok on here?" Regina smiled, pushing the chair under the table, when she noticed a basket beside it. "What's this?" She asked, picking it up.

"Ah. I stopped off at the village before I arrived and picked up a few things for us to do, more specifically eat and drink," he replied, pulling out a bottle of orange juice, two goblets and some apples.

"Please tell me that's not wine," Regina smiled, spying the bottle.

"I wish," Robin chuckled. "It's orange juice," he replied, pouring it into the goblets.

"Orange juice? Aren't I the lucky one," Regina smirked.

"Only the finest oranges in the land for my Queen," Robin joked as he stood in front of her.

"My Queen? And what makes you think I'm yours, thief?" Regina said smugly.

"Well, I know I can do this without asking," Robin said, closing the gap between them and brining her into a passionate kiss. Regina wrapped her hands around his waist as they stepped in closer, deepening the kiss. Robin's hands ran through her raven hair and traveled downwards, running over her triceps, when Regina opened her eyes and winced, breaking the kiss.

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered, feeling awful that she ruined the moment. "I just..." She trailed off, not knowing where to go.

"No it's my fault," Robin began, running his hand through his hair and stepping away. "I should have asked before I did anything-"

"No-" Regina interrupted. "It's not your fault, I just have a bruise on my arm, it's nothing."

"I thought you said the magical doctor fixed your arm?" Robin jested, trying to make a light hearted joke out of the situation. Yet Regina didn't look pleased. "Regina is everything ok?"

"Yes. It's fine, I'm fine. I just did my duties as a wife last night that's all," Regina frowned looking away from him.

"Oh" was all Robin could muster when he realised what she meant. "Oh Regina," he added, pulling her into a tight hug. The room fell silent; the rain had stopped, the storm was over, only clouds remained in the sky. Only the crackling of the fire was there to break the silence. Robin felt a mixture of sympathy and annoyance. The King was a horrid mad, he wanted to kill him, vent his anger to Regina about him (he would probably get the same reaction from her), yet he knew that this wasn't the time to bring it up. Instead he just held her in his arms, providing a sense of safety and comfort. Regina needed to forget about her life as the Queen and so regretfully broke the hug in order to move on. Robin understood and changed the subject.

"So apples," he smiled, picking one up and biting into it.

"Apples. My favourite," Regina replied, picking another one up too. "How did you know to get Honeycrisp apples?"

"I didn't even know there was specific names to apples other than green and red," Robin admitted, making Regina laugh.

"Well this is most definitely a Honeycrisp apple," she smiled, taking a bite. "Did you know the Honeycrisp tree is the most vigorous and hearty of all apple trees? It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing. It can weather any storm. I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl. And to this day, I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers."

"Really?" Robin replied shocked, slightly taken aback by the fact that she knew that. "That's most definitely something," he laughed.

"You know, there's an apple tree in the palace gardens that used to stand near where I grew up? There was a stable boy I liked once, and we used to meet underneath it," Regina smiled, sitting down on the chaise, thinking back to the memory of Daniel. He would be happy that Regina finally found someone who could make her as happy as he did.

"Well, I heard that there's a particularly handsome thief that you like, and you like to meet in the greying tower almost every morning," Robin smirked, joining her and making Regina laugh. Robin couldn't help but join in, the pair hadn't laughed so hard in years. When it came to a natural stop, Robin smiled and gazed into her eyes, giving her a peck on the lips before getting up. Regina's eyes followed Robin as he walked around the tower's only room, inspecting it.

"This tower is so strange. It was abandoned eons ago, yet the furniture is still intact?" Robin said.

"I guess it was just preserved. It's not like anyone uses it... Well, until us now," Regina replied.

"That is true. I never understood why it was called the greying tower, not Rapunzel's tower!" Robin said, picking up a dusty book from a shelf, filling through the pages.

"Hang on, you think this is Rapunzel's tower?" Regina asked.

"Yes?" Robin replied, unsure now due to the puzzled look on the Queens face.

"Oh my!" Regina burst out laughing, falling back on the chaise.

"What?! That's what I was told," Robin replied, defending himself, while Regina tried to maintain her composure.

"Oh you naïve thief! Firstly, it's called the greying tower because it's grey. Whether you see colour or not, it's just grey."

"Oh," Robin replied, looking sheepish.

"And secondly. Why would this be Rapunzel's tower? It's too exposed, people could find the it easily! Plus what would the blue witch need with Rapunzel's hair if there were stairs?" Regina replied, smugly.

"Alright then, Milady, whose tower was it then?"

"Well," Regina replied, raising her eyebrow and standing up. "No one knows for sure, but most tales have it as tragic tale of love. There was a witch, and a mere baker who fell I love and decided to run away together. The witch built the tower for them to live in, building it in grey stone so many would stay away. They lived a happy life," Regina smiled, walking towards Robin. When she reached him, she wound up the music box which sat on the shelf, took Robin by the hand in the middle of the room, and began to slowly waltz with him. "Some say the music never stopped playing as they danced each night away. Yet their happiness only lasted a short while, for with happiness, there is always tragedy." Regina broke off from the slow dance and made her way towards the window which had a magnificent view of the ocean. "One day, the baker was sat by the window, trying to see something in the distance, the folk claiming it to be the sea witch Ursula, when he fell out. The witch didn't see him fall. Only heard his bones break into a million pieces as he hit the ground. She ran down the stairs and when she saw the body she screamed so loud, wept so much that she cast a curse on the land that it would forever be grey from sunrise to sunset." Regina paused, and looked into Robin's eyes. "And when the local villagers found the witch on top of the dead baker, weeping over his body, they tried to comfort her, but to no avail. They were shocked when the witch pulled out a dagger and plunged it into her broken heart, knowing she could not live without him." Regina replied, walking back over to Robin. "A doomed love," she whispered in his ear.

Robin did not know how to respond. The loud thunder did the work for him as it erupted in the air above them, making Regina jump. Robin grabbed hold of her as she steadied her breathing. "But, again, that's only a tale. Who knows if it's true," Regina finally said.

"It's a beautiful tale," Robin smiled. "Perhaps I'll tell it to Roland tonight." The mention of Roland made Regina light up. "He really likes you, you know," Robin said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"And I him, I'd love to spend more time with him," Regina mused.

"I'll bring him tomorrow," Robin suggested, to which Regina happily nodded.

"I'd like that very much."

"Then it's a plan! Oh, please don't bring Snow tomorrow. I've only just met the girl and I hate her!" Robin laughed.

"Ugh, she's insufferable. We reached the palace yesterday and all the King was concerned about was her. You know I was blamed for being attacked yesterday?" Regina declared.

"Fuck off, you weren't!"

"I was! And at one of the stupid balls the King had last night she was the guest of honour! All they did was dance together all night, I was left to gather dust and drink wine. Lots of wine," scoffed Regina.

"Well, one night, if you can make it, I'll have to introduce you to my Merry Men- they all want to meet you!" Robin mused.

"Oh Gods what have you been telling them?!" Regina blushed.

"Only that I think your the most beautiful human in the realm," Robin smiled. "And that I couldn't wait to see you again."

"What colour do you think we'll see tomorrow?" Regina asked, picking up a green cushion from the old bed.

"If it's anything like what I've experienced before, I'd say blue?" Robin replied.

"Ah. So I we can marvel at the sky tomorrow just as the sun rises."

"Indeed," Robin smiled, bringing in Regina and holding her tight as they looked out of the window. "One day we'll see all the colours. We have that to look forward too. And once that day has come, we'll figure out a way to free you from the Kings grasp," Robin whispered.

"I can't wait," Regina replied, the words barely leaving her lips. They spent the rest of their time together laughing, sharing stories, kissing, and holding each other in their arms, enjoying their moments together before Regina had to leave. Robin begged her to stay for just a while longer, but Regina knew she was already pushing her luck. Regina kissed Robin goodbye for the final time as she put on her now dry red cape and exited the tower. The rain had briefly stopped, giving Regina time to get on her horse and ride away, Robin watching her disappear into the green trees.

A/N- I'm sorry this one is kinda short compared to the rest of them, I've had bad writers block on tip of all my other excuses! I promise I'll upload again soon! I love reading your comments, the positive feedback I've had is really nice and motivating!


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